Long Live
by writingisjustwhatido
Summary: Peeta and Katniss were both rescued during the Quell.  Together they join the rebellion and fight to put an end to Snow's reign.  But then their rebel mission goes horribly wrong.


**A/N When I first wrote this it was meant to go with the song Long Live by Taylor Swift. Due to copyright I can't use the lyrics. But at the part where it was going to be written I put the song title, when you get to that place go and look up the lyrics. Even if you already know the song it makes the story so much more powerful to read the lyrics at that point.**

So this was it. After everything this was finally how I was going to die. I guess it wasn't the worst way to go out. Fighting for something you believed in with all your heart, next to the person you loved more than you thought possible. Having accepted my fate, I no longer tried to stench the flow of blood coming from my chest. It flowed freely now, over my shattered ribs and mangled legs. I sighed and painfully turned my head to look at him.

"Peeta," I whispered softly. Afraid of disturbing him but more terrified still that he had already left me. With great difficulty, he opened his eyes. I gasped. "I've looked better huh?" he asked jokingly. I was amazed at his strength to stay joking while the life drained out of us.

But I was horribly shocked. How I had adored his clear, sweet eyes so full of love, cleverness, and goodness. But not anymore. One was completely gone, just his tattered eyelid barely covering the deep, empty socket. And the other was clouded with pain and blood. Somehow he managed to find the endurance to lift his arm and grab my hand. He held it softly, and I stared down at our intertwined fingers, grotesquely fascinated as our blood mixed together. He slowly began murmuring to me. "Maybe the injury to my head is even more severe than I thought it was. Or maybe my vision is clouded from my, ah, predicament. But even covered in blood you are still the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. You know I've heard a lot of things about love in my life but no one has ever captured how I feel for you."

He kept talking, using his amazing talent with words. Spinning them into something so beautiful and heartfelt it brought tears to my eyes. Everything had gone so terribly wrong. This battle was supposed to be easy. The rebels' tactic was to end the war by having a small band of us sneak into President Snow's mansion and kill the monster. But a spy must have leaked the information to the Capital. They knew we were coming. We were ambushed and all of us except for Peeta and I were killed. Our instincts from the arena had given us enough of an edge. We had made our way through the mansion and found Snow. His back had been turned. We killed him instantly. I had had plans of slow torture, a way to make him pay for just a fraction of the suffering he had caused. But Peeta had stopped me.

"In the end it will only result in more suffering added to the world," he had whispered gravely. So wise and brave. And so impossibly good. I had felt so proud once it had been accomplished. Finally it was over. But as we had stepped out the door to rejoin our ranks, ready to celebrate the rebellion's victory, hell broke loose. Capital soldiers had set up post to attack us and let loose fire. Bullets flying through the air, raining destruction before they were taken out by rebel forces. And then the bomb went off. There would be no survivors. The wounds we had sustained were beyond hope.

"Katniss," Peeta whispered my name. I looked into his one remaining eye and squeezed his hand. He started to continue but I silenced him by opening my mouth and starting to sing. How my vocal cords were still capable of producing sound I didn't know, but it sounded beautiful. I had no idea where the words came from but they poured from my soul out through my lips.

Long Live

I tried to capture everything I was feeling. Summing up all of his courage throughout our first Games, the Quell, and the rebellion. All the impossible things that we accomplished together. After I had sung the last note I tried to see Peeta's reaction. His one eye was shinning and if his face hadn't been so hopelessly damaged, he would have been smiling.

Though it caused me agony beyond belief, I moved closer to him. "Peeta," I started, my voice breaking with emotion. "Peeta I love you," I said for the first time. I meant it with everything I was.

"You know, I think it just might be worth dying to hear you say that." He leaned over to me and brought his bloodstained lips to mine one last time.


End file.
